This Apple Blueberry Crumble is a super easy dessert recipe, perfect to transition from summer to fall baking. It uses apples just as they come into season, and blueberries just as they are at the tail end of their peak, so it's a perfect combination of tart and sweet. And with a buttery, crunchy oat crumble topping, this recipe is so, so good.
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Ingredients
For the filling:
- Apples: you’ll need about 4 apples cut into thin slices (⅛" - ¼"). Tart apples apples like granny smith are best. I've listed other apple varieties further down in this post if you can't find granny smith apples.
- Blueberries: juicy blueberries! Their sweet flavor works so well with the tart apples. Fresh blueberries are preferred, but you can also use frozen – just defrost them first and drain out the excess liquid.
- Cinnamon: classic warm spice that brings a delicious depth of flavor to the bright and tart fruit.
- Lemon juice: adds an acidic element for balance, and helps keep the apples from getting brown. Fresh lemon juice is always best.
- Sugar: simple granulated white sugar.
- Salt: kosher salt to balance and bring out the flavors.
For the topping:
- Light brown sugar: light brown sugar has a little molasses so you get a hint of a caramelized flavor. You could use granulated sugar if you don’t have brown sugar on hand. Dark brown sugar also works.
- Oats: old-fashioned rolled oats. Not quick oats or instant oats, they will be too soft and not hold up.
- All purpose flour: helps bring together the mixture.
- Cinnamon: mirrors the warm flavors from the filling and brings it full circle.
- Butter: cold, unsalted butter.
- Salt: balances the sweetness and brings out the natural flavors.
Step by step instructions
Instructions for how to make this blueberry apple crumble are listed below. Full recipe with detailed instructions and ingredient quantities can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.
1. Combine the ingredients for the filling. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients for the filling and toss to combine well.
2. Transfer the filling. Carefully transfer the apple mixture into a baking dish and rearrange to fill as many gaps as you can so it lays in a somewhat even layer.
3. Make the topping. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients for the crumble topping. Work the butter into the mixture until the ingredients are all hydrated and you’re able to squeeze the mixture together and it clumps.
4. Top the crumble. Sprinkle the crumble on top of the fruit in the baking dish.
5. Bake. Bake until the crumble is deeply golden brown and the edges are bubbling. Serve warm with a scoop of ice cream.
The best apples for baking
There are so many kinds of apples. The best apples for baking are a bit tart and hold their shape when baked. If you use sweet apples, the end baked good will likely be overly sweet given the additional sugar that’s inevitably added. Similarly, if the apple is not firm enough, it’ll get too mushy and not hold up when baked. Some of the best apples to bake with (specifically also narrowed down to the most common I have come across) are listed below:
- Granny smith (the ideal apple)
- Cortland
- Pink lady
- Honeycrisp (although these lean a bit sweeter, so if you can, also use a more tart apple in combination with this one)
Some more options and details here.
Difference between a crisp, crumble, and cobbler
“Crisp” and “crumble” are used rather interchangeably, and both are a base mixture of flour, butter, and sugar, with the end result being a crumbly-textured topping. However, the difference being – technically, a crumble uses oats in the topping and a crisp does not.
Cobbler on the other hand is more of a batter topping. Depending on the recipe, it could be as thin as a pancake batter, or as thick as biscuits.
Tips and tricks
This apple blueberry crumble is a pretty simple dessert to make and hard to mess up, but the tips and tricks below can help make sure everything goes according to plan (or better).
- I like to use an oval baking dish because I like how it looks, but a 9x9 or 8x8 square baking dish also works great.
- Use cold butter for the crumble topping, it’ll melt a bit as you work it together with your hands, but the colder the better so the topping gets as crisp as possible.
- You can even put the crumble topping back in the fridge for 15-20 minutes before putting it on the fruit and baking it to get an extra crispy topping.
- Squeeze the crumble topping together with your hands as you add it to the baking dish, this will create really nice crispy clusters
- Let the crumble cool for 10-15 minutes before adding the ice cream on top otherwise it’ll just immediately melt and become an ice cream pool.
- You may be tempted to crank the oven temp a bit to have the crumble ready sooner, but please avoid doing that. You’ll scorch the top before the filling has a chance to break down and get soft and saucy.
- Always serve with scoops of vanilla ice cream. Or really any ice cream you love – buttermilk, sweet cream, cinnamon, blueberry jam, caramel, etc.
Flavor variations
This apple blueberry crumble recipe relies on cinnamon for the warm spice flavor, but you could also use any of the below instead or in addition to.
- Pumpkin spice
- Nutmeg
- Ginger
- Cloves
- Cardamom
You could also add chopped nuts like pecans or almonds to the crumble topping.
Storage and reheating
- Storage: transfer to an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 3 days. I try to transfer in a single layer so the filling is still on bottom and the crumble topping is still on top, to help it stay crumbly.
- Alternatively, if the baking dish you used is refrigerator safe, you could just cover the whole thing in plastic wrap and store as-is in the baking dish. Just make sure it comes to room temperature before you put it in the refrigerator because you don't want to shock the baking dish and have it crack.
- Reheating: warm in the oven at 350°F for 10 minutes, or in the microwave for a few minutes.
FAQs
It’s personal preference. I personally can’t be bothered, but if you’d like to you can. Some recipes may require it so definitely read the recipe thoroughly. This one however does not.
You can, it doesn’t make a big enough difference for this recipe if you use cold or melted butter.
All ovens are a bit different – check your oven temperature with an oven thermometer. If that looks right, double check you used the correct quantities for the ingredients. If you have too much butter, you’ll likely end up with a soggy, greasy topping. If you have not enough butter, you’ll end up with a dry topping. Lastly, make sure to really work the butter in with the other ingredients, you want everything to be hydrated by the butter and be able to stick together if you squeeze it in the palm of your hand.
Sure! Just use one of the 1:1 gluten-free flours on the market, and make sure you're using gluten-free oats.
More fruit dessert recipes
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📖 Recipe
Apple Blueberry Crumble
Ingredients
For the filling:
- 4 granny smith apples sliced ¼-1/8" thin
- 1 cup fresh blueberries
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
For the crumble topping:
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- 1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter cold, cubed (one stick)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350℉.
- In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients for the filling (apples, blueberries, cinnamon, lemon juice, sugar, salt) and toss to combine well.
- Carefully transfer the apple mixture into a baking dish and rearrange to fill as many gaps as you can so it lays in a somewhat even layer.
- In a large bowl, combine all ingredients for the crumble topping (light brown sugar, oats, flour, cinnamon, salt, butter). Work the butter into the mixture (using your hands is easiest) until the ingredients are all hydrated and you’re able to squeeze the mixture together and it clumps.
- Sprinkle the crumble on top of the fruit in the baking dish.
- Bake 35-40 minutes, until the crumble is deeply golden brown and the edges are bubbling. Serve warm with a scoop of ice cream.
Notes
- I like to use an oval baking dish because I like how it looks, but a 9x9 or 8x8 square baking dish also works great.
-
Use cold butter for the crumble topping, it’ll melt a bit as you work it together with your hands, but the colder the better so the topping gets as crisp as possible.
- You can even put the crumble topping back in the fridge for 15-20 minutes before putting it on the fruit and baking it to get an extra crispy topping.
- Squeeze the crumble topping together with your hands as you add it to the baking dish, this will create really nice crispy clusters
- Let the crumble cool for 10-15 minutes before adding the ice cream on top otherwise it’ll just immediately melt and become an ice cream pool.
- You may be tempted to crank the oven temp a bit to have the crumble ready sooner, but please avoid doing that. You’ll scorch the top before the filling has a chance to break down and get soft and saucy.
- Always serve with scoops of vanilla ice cream. Or really any ice cream you love – buttermilk, sweet cream, cinnamon, blueberry jam, caramel, etc.
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